A count glossary in German, Russian and Uzbek

When head office speaks German and the count team speaks Russian or Uzbek, misunderstandings rarely arise from lack of will but from terms that cannot be translated one to one. "Difference" can mean shortage, surplus or simply deviation. "Count sheet" sounds to one person like an asset register and to another like a voucher. A one-page glossary clears this up before counting begins: three or four columns, one term per line, printed at the point where count sheets are issued. The selection below contains only commonly used terms. Usage can vary by industry, region and accounting practice, and a warehouse may use a different word for some things. Please agree the terms with your local colleagues before use.

The terms at a glance

The columns give the English term first, with the German original in brackets, then the Russian and the Uzbek equivalents.

Procedure and roles

• Stock count (Inventur) — инвентаризация — inventarizatsiya
• Cut-off date (Stichtag) — дата (момент) инвентаризации — inventarizatsiya sanasi (vaqti)
• Count instructions (Zählanweisung) — инструкция по проведению инвентаризации — inventarizatsiya o'tkazish yo'riqnomasi
• Count commission (Inventurkommission) — инвентаризационная комиссия — inventarizatsiya komissiyasi
• Count team (Zählteam) — группа подсчёта — sanoq guruhi
• Count leader (Zählleiter) — руководитель подсчёта — sanoq rahbari
• First count (Erstzählung) — первичный подсчёт — birinchi sanoq
• Second count (Zweitzählung) — повторный (контрольный) подсчёт — takroriy (nazorat) sanoq
• Auditor (Abschlussprüfer) — аудитор — auditor

Documents

• Count sheet (Zählliste) — инвентаризационная опись — inventarizatsiya ro'yxati
• Inventory record (Inventurprotokoll) — протокол инвентаризации — inventarizatsiya bayonnomasi
• Difference list (Differenzliste) — ведомость расхождений — farqlar ro'yxati
• Document, voucher (Beleg) — первичный документ — hujjat
• Delivery note (Lieferschein) — накладная — nakladnoy (yuk xati)

Stock and differences

• Book stock (Buchbestand) — учётный остаток — hisobdagi qoldiq
• Actual stock (Istbestand) — фактический остаток — haqiqiy qoldiq
• Difference (Differenz) — расхождение — farq
• Shortage (Fehlmenge) — недостача — kamomad
• Surplus (Mehrmenge) — излишек — ortiqcha miqdor
• Blocked stock (Sperrware) — заблокированный товар — bloklangan tovar
• Return (Retoure) — возврат — qaytarilgan tovar
• Batch (Charge) — партия — partiya
• Expiry date (Verfallsdatum) — срок годности — yaroqlilik muddati

Warehouse and assets

• Bin location (Lagerplatz) — место хранения — saqlash joyi
• Count zone (Zählbezirk) — зона подсчёта — sanoq zonasi
• Goods receipt (Wareneingang) — поступление (приёмка) — kirim (qabul qilish)
• Goods issue (Warenausgang) — отгрузка — jo'natish
• Transfer within the warehouse (Umlagerung) — перемещение — ko'chirish
• Fixed assets (Anlagevermögen) — основные средства — asosiy vositalar
• Asset number (Inventarnummer) — инвентарный номер — inventar raqami

Where terms typically talk past each other

• "Difference" is neutral. Only the sign turns it into a shortage or a surplus. Whoever reads "recount any difference above 5 per cent" as "shortages only" overlooks half of them. A fictional example: of 30 positions above the limit, 11 surpluses would have gone unnoticed.
• The "cut-off date" is the point in time to which the stock refers, not necessarily the day on which the counting takes place.
• "Counting" and "checking" are different roles. Whoever checks does not count.
• For units, it should always be stated what is meant: piece, carton or pallet.

Putting the glossary to use

Print the glossary on one page, include it as an annex to the count instructions and use the same words in the instructions as on the count sheets. The glossary is an aid to understanding, not legal terminology. Formal documents such as management's order follow the local forms and designations. In the column for the team's language, add alternatives that are actually said in the warehouse. Keep the glossary dated by version and, after the first count day, add terms that have newly come up in the team.

In short

A shared glossary costs an hour and saves many questions on count day. Before an assignment, AuditMaster goes through the count instructions and terms with your warehouse management so that head office and team mean the same thing. You review and approve the instructions.